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African American Oral History Project transcripts, case files, and other material, 1980-1995

 Series
Identifier: MSS 7752 Series 17

Scope and Contents

Contains contracts from and contact information for participants in the African American Oral History Project, as well as the original audio recordings of the oral history interviews, and transcripts for those interviews. Topics covered in the oral histories include family life, conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dating and social experiences as a member, family life, acceptance by other members, feelings about the priesthood and the prior restrictions, and how life changed for African Americans after the 1978 revelation about the priesthood, 1980-1995.

Dates

  • 1980-1995

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Administrative History

The African American Oral History Project took place in 1985, and was administered by the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies.

The LDS African American Oral History Project was conducted through the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies by Alan Cherry, an African American member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Two hundred and twenty-six African American members were interviewed throughout the United States about their experiences as members. The program aimed at documenting the experiences of African Americans with regards to their lives before and after the revelation admitting men of African descent into the priesthood. Interviews were later used in writing "Black Saints in a White Church: Contemporary African American Mormons"; "'Separate but Equal?': Black Branches, Genesis Groups, and Integrated Wards"; "Blacks" in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism; "Middle Class African American Mormons"; and "Spanning the Priesthood Revelation (1978): Two Multigenerational Case Studies."

Extent

241 volumes

709 folders

2 cartons

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged into three subseries by material type: 1. African American Oral History Project transcripts, 1985-1993. 2. African American Oral History Project case files, 1985-1993. 3. African American Oral History Project spirituality surveys, 1980. 4. African American Oral History Project directory, 1988-1995.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States